Little and Often
Why Little and Often Works Best
Most diet advice tells you to eat filling, satiating foods so you don’t overeat.
On GLP-1 medication, you’ve got the opposite problem.
Appetite is already suppressed. Protein and fibre, the foods you need most, are also the most filling. Getting enough in can feel like a battle.
The solution for most people: little and often.
Why this works
Large meals are hard to finish when your stomach empties slowly, and your appetite is low. Smaller, more frequent meals are easier to tolerate and help you meet your nutrition targets without forcing yourself to eat a larger portion in one sitting.
Think of it as grazing with purpose. Not mindless snacking, but structured mini-meals throughout the day.
You don’t always need variety
Know what you’re eating for the week. Or at least tomorrow.
Everyone would benefit from this. Less mental energy wasted standing in the kitchen trying to figure out lunch. Less decision fatigue when appetite is already low, and nothing sounds appealing.
Find snacks you can tolerate–Lunches and dinners you actually enjoy. People get fixated on variety, but during the week, with life pulling in every direction, variety is overrated.
Pick 3-5 meals that tick the protein and fibre boxes. Cycle through them. Save the adventurous eating for weekends or when you have the energy for it.
Calorie-dense foods become your friend.
When volume is the enemy, you need foods that pack more nutrition into less space. Full-fat dairy, nuts, oily fish, olive oil, avocado. (More on this in [What to Eat When Nothing Sounds Good].)
These aren’t cheat foods. They’re practical tools to get adequate calories and nutrients when appetite won’t cooperate.
Protein shakes as a strategic tool:
Whole foods first, always. But there are moments when a protein-based shake makes sense:
- Post-workout, when you need protein but your appetite is suppressed from training
- First thing in the morning, if you can’t face solid food early
- Busy days, when eating a proper meal isn’t realistic
A protein-based shake with milk, oats, peanut butter and frozen fruit can cover a lot of ground. But it’s a tool for specific situations, not a daily crutch. Real food does the job better when you can manage it.
Practical strategies:
Set reminders. When you’re not hungry, you forget to eat. A phone alarm at regular intervals helps.
Split meals. Can’t finish lunch? Eat half now, half in two hours. No rule says meals have to be eaten in one sitting.
Keep snacks accessible–nuts, yoghurts, protein bars, boiled eggs–accessible foods you can grab without too much preparation or thinking.
The mindset shift
This isn’t eating for pleasure or hunger. It’s eating out of necessity. Eating because your body needs fuel, even when your brain or stomach isn’t asking for it.
Eating to fuel your body is not the same as overeating. If you’re strength training, consistent under-eating sabotages the very thing you’re trying to build and maintain. (More on this in The Under-Eating Trap.)
It will likely feel odd at first. But it’s one of the biggest differences between losing fat, retaining muscle, and building muscle, especially for beginners.
Try the little-and-often approach this week. Set a reminder every 2-3 hours and eat a small protein and fibre-rich snack. If you’re really not hungry, try a protein-based shake. Experiment and see if it’s easier than forcing yourself to eat three full meals every day.
Next: (Eating Out, Alcohol, and Social Situations) – how to handle meals when you can’t control the menu.